It could never happen here, right? Mexican gas plant explosion kills about 30 workers

I wouldn't be too sure, no wonder there are concerns here in Gladstone, the site of several huge LNG plants, and in the gas fields and along the pipeline routes, but I only heard about this today. Maybe I wasn't following the news but I didn't see it reported here, where huge gas tankers will soon be negotiating a narrow channel close to the main city CBD:

By Bill Van Auken 
20 September 2012

An explosion that ripped through a Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) gas pipeline distribution facility in northeastern Mexico near the US border Tuesday has left some 30 workers dead and dozens more injured.

The official death toll rose to 29 on Wednesday afternoon. PEMEX, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, said on its twitter account that seven more workers are missing. A company official put the number at five, while warning that it could rise. At least 46 workers were injured.

The bulk of those who lost their lives in the explosion and fire were employees of a private contractor brought in to do maintenance work at the facility. Twenty-five of the contract workers are known to have died along with four employees of PEMEX itself. Part of the confusion over how many remain missing is the result of PEMEX trying to coordinate information with the contractor.

The explosion, which occurred at 10:45 am on Tuesday, ignited a huge fire sending towering flames and a column of smoke high over the facility, a gas distribution center located approximately 12 miles down the highway linking Reynosa to the city of Monterrey to the southwest. Reynosa is just across the US border from McAllen, Texas.

President Felipe Calderon said on Wednesday that the quick response of Mexican firefighters and army personnel helped avoid a “real catastrophe” that would have ensued had the blaze spread to a nearby gas processing plant.

Security personnel evacuated people from homes and ranches surrounding the facility for fear that the fire could ignite new and bigger explosions.

Initially, PEMEX officials tried to minimize the scope of the industrial disaster, failing to report the number of dead and injured early on and stressing that the fire had been quickly controlled. As the toll of fatalities became clear, however, the company was compelled to recognize the seriousness of the accident.

PEMEX Director Juan Jose Suarez told the media that there was “no evidence that it was a deliberate incident, or some kind of attack,” adding, “There is no reason to think that this terrible accident was caused by criminal gangs.” What has been learned so far, he said, points to an “unusual accident.”

(Continuing reading at http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/09/peme-s20.html

Video at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152362045915377

A Summary of Serious, Serial Stupidity

This account of the Gillard Government's ineptitude is from a circulating email - author unknown - and is copied here without responsibility for the content:-

(1)  Admission that political advisers to the government have botched decisions resulting in a costsomething in the order of $20 billion.

(2)  Boat refugees that have chosen to skip Nauru and go home again given $3000 each by the government as compensation.

(3)  The pursuit of a temporary seat for Oz on the UN Security Council has, to date, cost a reported $40 million.

(4)  1000 new cotton/rice farms have been permitted to open in the Eastern States during the last 12 months.

(5)  A revenue shortfall tipped this year of $25 billion whilst the countrys borrowings exceeds $240 billion and continues to rise.

(6)  Gillard announces a $6.5 billion School Education Funding plan but is unable to say how it will be funded

(7)  Dental care plan for children announced by Plibersek at a cost of $2 billion but she cant say how it will be funded either.

(8)  The price of spin doctors presently employed by the Federal Labor Government now costing $150 million a year

(9)   Each public service employee was given a bonus of $1000 to head off industrial unrest at a total cost of $33 million.

(10)   $320 million was promised by Gillard at the Pacific Forum Conference to help increase the number of female politicians in the Pacific.

(11)  The Treasurer suggested planning to further tax the nations $1.4 trillion superannuation funds in an attempt to balance his 2013 budget.

(12)   Australian Funding for Indonesia  2012/13 - $578.4 million.

(13) National Broadband Network way behind schedule and blown out by another $1 billion -  total cost of the project - $43 billion  Expert opinion is that this cable system will be outdated long before it is finished being replaced by wireless broadband.

(14)  Failed Pink Batts Insulation Scheme  Cost $3.45 billion plus $424 million extra to repair the mess left by Minister Garrets inefficiency.

(15)  An audit has revealed that the $540 million government scheme to boost literacy and numeracy in schools has totally failed.

(16)  An enquiry has revealed that the $16.2 billion Building the Education Revolution(BER) programme (administered personally by Gillard)  has totally failed. A number of schools destined for closure & demolition in the near future had new buildings erected during the scheme.

(17)  A headline from Adelaide s The Advertiser in 2009   OUR FUTURE MARKED BY RISING RIVERS OF RED INK   

(18)   The cost of recording the first round of Carbon Tax commercials was $350,000 followed by $340,000 for the second round. Thats $690,000 before buying any airtime.  Estimates also heard that the Government is planning another round of advertising to sell the Carbon Tax Labor promised not to introduce. And in anticipation of that, the creative advertising agency involved has had its contract increased by 50% to $3 million.

(19)  A planned National Disability Insurance Scheme  $10 billion promised but unfunded.

(20)  Planned Child Care Subsidies . $1.4 billion promised but unfunded.

(21) The Immigration Department revealed that about $2 million has been spent flying 260 asylum seekers from Chris tmas Island to Nauru averaging more than $7,600 per asylum seeker

(22) Nineteen lawyers worked on the Governments defence of the Slipper/Ashby case at a cost of $780,000 to date.

(23) A portrait of Peter Slipper in his Speakers Robes destined to hang in the halls of Parliament has been commissioned at a cost of $30,000.

(24) Bureaucratic Excesses: The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry spent $21,000 on a single dinner. The Department of Industry spent $75,000 on just five coffee machines.

(25) Fair Work Australia has so far spent more than $1.8 million on external legal and accounting advice for its investigation into the rorting of Health Services Union funds.

(26)   $79,700 was spent building three fake kitchens for the Governments Carbon Tax advertising campaigns.  Using real kitchens would have cost $5,000 a day.

(27) More than 10,000 asylum seekers arrived by boat so far this year five times as many as Wayne Swan estimated when framing his Budget. The budget estimate of $1.1 billion was based on an average of 450 arrivals per month but actual arrivals are running at 5 times more on an average of 2,400 per month.

(28) While departmental officials refused to be drawn on the cost of the Budget blow-out we do know that in 2011/12 every boat that arrived cost taxpayers $12.8 million, or more than $172,700 for every person on board.

(29)  The present Social Security and Welfare Budget for 12 months is, in round figures, $131 Billion.  Assuming that there are 3 million Australians eligible for this that equates to $43,885 per person per annum.  The current age pension is $15,132 per person per annum so the question remains where does the other $28,753 go?  Surely not administration?

Meanwhile Gillard has vehemently stated her opposition to pension increases for non-Labor voting pensioners. (Sieg Heil Comrade mate?)

(30) Gillard announced a whitepaper The Asian Century - where Asian languages will be taught in all Australian schools for us to better communicate with our Asian neighbours.   The cost will be $6 billion which is, again, unfunded whilst an implementation strategy has yet to be formed.  Fact: As there are many Asian languages and dialects most Asian business transactions are presently conducted in English.

(31)   Gillard announces her Plan to Save the Murray.  Quote: We can deliver the extra water by investing $1.8 billion in infrastructure, water efficiency and fixing constraints like raising low bridges so more water can flow.Unquote.

Raising bridges so more water can flow ????  Can somebody tell the fool that bridges, no matter how high or low, do not normally restrict water flow?)

(32) Water Fact 1:  Gillard has found 450 billion litres of water at a cost of $1.8 billion to Save the Murray.

Water Fact 2: Cubby Station is licensed to take 460 megalitres a year from the river.  460 megalitres = 460 billion litres so, by closing Cubby Station the problem is solved & $1.8 billion is saved.  Where do we send our account?

(33)  Further Fabulous Failures:

             (a) Grocery Watch

            (b) Fuel Watch.

          (c) $1 billion Cash for Clunkers failure.

   (d) 450 GP Super Clinics promised . Only 3 delivered.

   (e) $2.1 billion promise of a Laptop for every child.

   (f) $275 million Green Loans debacle.

   (g) $534 million Solar Panel Rebate suddenly withdrawn.

   (h) Promise to build 222 Child Care centres abandoned.

(34)  $38.5 million spent for a pro-mining tax advertising campaign.

(35)  The gross Australian Federal Debt as at August 31^st 2012 wasA$244,325,881,000.  ($244.3 billion) and continues to grow at $100 million a day.(Thats two hundred & forty four billion, three hundred & twenty five million, eight hundred & eighty one thousand dollars!)

(36)   A random quote from The Punch.    Headline quote: Gillard & Swan are Failures, Not Leaders.Quote from the text:  Mr.Swan has undermined Australias international standings and jeopardised our economy.  He should have been sent to the back bench, not made Treasurer & Deputy Prime Minister.  unquote.

(37)  And we wont even mention the 3 or 4 year protection given to Craig Thomson by Gillard ..Thomson being the Health Services Union man who, by his statement, had his credit card stolen by someone unknown to pay for prostitutes and then put back in his wallet again  several times in fact!!

AND FINALLY, AN OBSERVATION!    Her behaviour demonstrates that she knows that she is going to get tossed out at the next election so is making as many promises as possible to throw back at Abbott from the opposition benches.  You can hear the dorsal nosed whine now, If you hadnt dismissed us from government you would have had a Child Care subsidy scheme now (or a Dental Plan or a School Education Funding plan etc.etc.etc.  whine,whine,snivel,snivel ..

Thats if the unions dont do a Rudd on her too!

Obituary for Common Sense

In today's modern world, we have mourned the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.


Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn)

and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).


His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing government regulations and civil liberation parties were set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate;

teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch;

and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.


Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves

had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.


It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion

or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted

to have an abortion.


Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;

and criminals received better treatment than their victims.


Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home

and the burglar could sue you for assault.


Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot.

She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.


Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.


He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
- Pay me for Doing Nothing


Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. 

Low Interest Rates could drive Stock Market Up and Yields Down

An interesting article by Charlie Aitken of Bell Potter Securities looks at the ramification of our low interest rates.

Whilst low interest rates are positive for the residential property market there are currently a lot of people, since the GFC, hiding in cash investments for perceived security.

About 30% of SMSF assets currently sit in cash and there is a total of $440 billion siting in bank term deposits.

Future term deposit rates in the “3’s” and maybe “2’s” would be returning, after tax, less than inflation, or negative in real terms, so savers will be forced to take a risk to achieve an acceptable after tax income stream.

Such a move from cash to productive investments such as shares could see yields reduced, particularly on fully franked equities.

This may come about, not due to companies reducing there dividends, but rather the price of stocks rising due to increased demand.

Charlie Aitken is tipping that yields could be compressed to 5% and the ASX200 to rise to around 5,000 or 5,200 over the next 12 months.

A Very Nerdy New Year

This pic created some mirth when it was circulated among family members. It is a real-life, non-posed setting of an anonymous clan gathered at a secret location :0)
When the photographer walked into the room he couldn't resist hurrying for his camera but there was no need to hurry - the scene remained unchanged, the expressions remained the same as busy fingers explored all the wonders of the new hi-tech world on their ipods and laptops as several shots were fired off.
To be honest, they do get their exercise in the outdoors on bikes, scooters, boogie boards and the like but this is fairly typical on the home scene.
A sibling in Canada who received the pic by email, replied that it could have been taken where she celebrated her New Year. Same scene, different people.
What a different world the kids of today are growing up in. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, but I'm glad I grew up when I did.
Another sister has just discovered the delights of electronic books with her new Kimble, but if I want to read, I prefer to nod off and drop the paperback on my lap after a few chapters.
Whiz-bang gadgets, iphones and the like, just don't appeal but that's just me. I am quite happy to be old fashioned and blissfully ignorant of the rapid progression of new models, new features, new apps but for those addicted, where will it all end?

PRA: Water management for the CSG industry

The coal seam gas industry does use a lot of water, not only in the construction of gas fields and supporting infrastructure but most of all in the dewatering process where huge quantities water is pumped out of the aquifer where the coal seams are located so as to be able to extract the gas.   Even the conservative if not sanitised report from the Queensland Water Commission says that “Petroleum tenure holders are predicted to extract approximately 95,000 megalitres of water per year over the life of the industry and this extraction will impact on water levels.”  This impact will largely fall upon landowners depending on bores and springs to water livestock and under licence restrictions irrigate crops.

The image is one developed by QWC with lines drawn on the map where they forecast the long term cumulative impacts of the coal seam gas industry will be on underground water. But already in these early stages of CSG production there are reports of bores outside of the 'affected area' predicted by the QWC showing dropped water levels, diminishing recharge rates and capacity.

The Petroleum Act and until very recently Qld government policy describe this water extracted in CSG production as a waste product. The Qld government invited submissions to a draft Coal Seam Gas Water Management Policy 2012. That submission process is over and the final policy has been released. 

Below are selected extracts from Property Rights Australia submission to the draft policy on CSG water management  

The draft policy correctly states that CSG water should not be treated as a waste product. Underground water is a very important resource and should be treated as such.

Landowners are limited by license in their water use but CSG companies are unfettered. The drawdown of aquifers in CSG areas is a primary concern of Property Rights Australia. Any substitute for clean, reliable underground water is a second grade option and should be recognised as such. Depletion of aquifers which service premium agricultural land sterilises that land and makes it unavailable as a reliable resource for an indispensable commodity, namely food, to future generations. 

“Make good” provisions are littered with uncertainty and unfairness.  The store set in the “make good” provisions by government and public officials is alarming. Government and public officials seem unconcerned at water drawdown and depressurisation as a result of this confidence when these provisions are untested.  Too much weight is being given to the inferior action of “make good” provisions when the EPA will only stop local extraction for catastrophic effects if companies are unable to “make good” or provide substitution. This is not good enough!  “Make good” is a poor substitute for a reliable clean underground water source. 

Well drafted, detailed, step by step “make good” agreements seem to be essential in contracts between landowners and CSG companies operating on landowner’s lands. It remains to be tested how difficult it will be to have the implications implemented and what steps are necessary should a dispute arise.

It is a concern that landowner’s bores experiencing impacts of who do not have a company operating on their property may have to jump through extra hoops to access “make good”. 

It is of concern that Government and public officials have not recognised that water quality is just as important as quantity of water available for landowners. Both crops and livestock can experience reduced performance from lower quality water and if this has been caused by CSG activity it must be recognised as an equally severe impact. 

A major failing of the draft policy is that it does not recognise any other contaminant present in CSG water other than salt. The policy does recognise that the quality of CSG water varies greatly. The amount and composition of remaining chemical elements and compounds needs to be known on a consignment by consignment basis.  Once treated the CSG water should be put to a suitable beneficial use. However it needs to be recognised that brine is not the only contaminant present in CSG water. Farmlands, farm aquifers and stock watering facilities should not be put at risk of contamination by any chemical elements and compounds that can cause impairment including substances such as heavy metals.

There are emerging new technologies of water treatment that when used as a replacement of or in tandem to the existing reverse osmosis water treatment plants will provide a far superior result in quality of water available to beneficial water uses and for the less volume of waste produced. 

The draft policy in Section 1.1, Priority 1 states that, “Appropriate plans are in place for mitigating short and long term impacts” It would be a far more satisfactory approach if proactive research is carried out to learn of possible impacts before they occur rather than continuing with the flawed “adaptive management” approach inherited from the previous Government. 

Baseline data needs to be ascertained; priority given to a comprehensive network of monitoring bores including bores to different aquifers at the same geographic location; the level of connectivity between aquifers needs careful research and the work of the Queensland Water Commission soon to be carried out by the new statutory body. Office of Underground Water Assessment should be independent & transparent.

There is no substitute for a clean, reliable underground water supply. All other options are vastly inferior.

Happy New Kyoto Free Year.

Happy New Kyoto Free Year

Happy New Year to all regular readers of the NCTCS blog.

Today is a great day, today marks the day when the Earth is free from the shackles of the Kyoto Protocol; the ineffective treaty that tried to reduce emissions of the vital-to-life Carbon dioxide.

The treaty was adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. As the failed Protocol limped to an end the aim of the alarmists to reduce emissions by 5% failed and thankfully 58% more "greenhouse gases" were emitted.

That's 58% more plant food!

The original Kyoto Protocol is dead and sensible nations are backing away from Kyoto 2.

                  Happy New Year!